From tending the ewes that had their young He brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob His people, of Israel His inheritance.
So [David] was their shepherd with an upright heart; he guided them by the discernment and skillfulness [which controlled] his hands.
Psalm 78:71-72 (Amplified Bible)
A myth is something that is false, but believed to be true. As in many things in life, there are several myths surrounding the concept and practice of leadership.
Unfortunately, these myths prevent qualified people from rising to the top. By listing these leadership myths, it is my hope to dispel many of the false beliefs.
Myth 1 – Leadership is a rare ability only given to a few
Many people still think leaders are born not made. This can’t be further from the truth. Most people have the potential to become good leaders. Leadership is not like a diet pill.
Like most learned skills, it takes time, training, and lots of trial by error. The key ingredient making people good leaders is the ability to care about others. The second ingredient is a sense of purpose, vision or mission.
A good leader charts a course and provides direction to those they lead.
Myth 2 – Leaders are charismatic
Many leaders are charismatic, but closer scrutiny shows that most leaders are not. Some of the world’s most famous leaders had warts–some sort of shortcoming or personality issue.
In a leadership role, people skills are very important–more important than technical skills. However, the best leaders are those who work toward a goal. Your cause, your purpose and your mission in life will make you charismatic, not the other way around.
Myth 3 – The person with the title, most rank or the highest position is the leader
True leadership is not based on position or rank. It is based on action, performance, ability, and effectiveness. We all relate to working for those people who were placed in leadership roles who did more to demoralize and destroy the business than anything else.
People naturally gravitate to those they want to follow, respect, and work with. There are no limiting job descriptions, job titles, and few rules and regulations. If a person comes up with a new idea, he or she puts a team together of people who have the desire and knowledge to make it work
Myth 4 – Effective leadership is based on control, coercion, and manipulation
Leadership is about the future, not the past. Joel Barker’s has the best quote about leadership, “A leader is someone you would follow to a place you would not go to by yourself.”
Good leaders gain followers out of respect and their ability to cause people to work toward a particular goal or achieve a destination. People follow because they can relate to the vision or goal personalized by the leader.
A good leader helps people become better than they are. A good leader creates a work environment that attracts, keeps and motivates its workforce.
Myth 5 – Good leaders have more education than other people
Educational degrees may mean you have a good education, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a good leader. When it comes to leadership, experience is the best teacher.
The U.S. military has the best leadership development program in the world. In the military, you start out at the bottom. You are placed in leadership positions and closely evaluated.
As your experience broadens, so does your responsibility. This practical experience is reinforced with weeks and months of formal training throughout the individual’s career.
Leadership is not a position.
People follow people, not positions. They respect people whom they trust.
They tag along with people in whom they believe in. They follow people who have demonstrated they deserve to be followed.
Using Jesus as a prime example, the magnitude of people followed Him even though He was a Nazarene and a carpenter by trade.
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law”
Matthew 7:28-29
Jesus wasn’t even in a position of leadership. He was not even part of the Jewish hierarchy of the teachers of the law, but yet this Man commanded the respect and the following of people.
Leaders puts others first
Being committed to His Body over the years, I have also learnt much about leadership. This time, I understoodd that the true essence of leadership is about “washing other people’s feet” or to serve others.
This lifestyle of service though easy to talk about, is not an easy way of life to live. This is so because it demands a total surrender of one’s rights by putting the interest of others first.
Having said that, to lead and to serve others should not be carried out because of a title like pastor, shepherd, cell leader, deacon or bishop. It should be birthed out of an identity as a child and servant of God.
Leaders walk the talk
Leadership is not a position. A leader is a leader not because of a title. Leadership is something that is earn from people on a day to day basis.
Examples of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi reflected this. They led with the “walk the talk” formula. Hence, they did not need position or title to lead.
It is what is inside a man that truly makes him a leader- His character or moral excellence, competence and intelligence.
No one will ever acknowledge a person as a “leader” till they have earn it.
My Doodling:
To readers of this blog who are from Hope. Just for the record and to quell any curious minds, my decision to move to CHC had nothing to do with the things that had unfolded a couple months ago.
I caught an episode of Crime Watch on television a couple of weeks ago.
One of the cases re-enacted was about a young 10-year old girl.
Her unexpected usual ride on an elevator was about to change her life forever.
About the case
On that particular ride, she met with an unfortunate incident. A stranger who took the same elevator outraged her modesty.
In that short 5-minute horrid act, her entire life was now never to be the same again. You can say it was a defining moment for her.
I believe that girl is merely one out of the numerous similar cases that happens almost everywhere.
Violation of trust
In my opinion, the most scarred of victims are those who are violated by someone close to them like a father, uncle or teacher.
Apart from being physically violated, they are tormented emotionally by the sense of betrayal.
Most victims of this nature suffer in silence. They are trapped in a dilemma because the person in question is in a role of authority over the victim.
Obviously, the related offenders have clearly abused his authority over the victims. They have abused their roles by harming the victims instead of protecting them.
Likewise, it is equally disheartening when we witness or experience when the government, employers, business partners, spouses or even church leaders abuse their positions of authority for their selfish gains.
Victims of such violation of trust, in general will carry the scars of these betrayal for the rest of their lives and would not so readily trust again.
The fortunate ones heal over time, but some less fortunate never recover fully and live dysfunctional lives.
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him”
Matthew 7: 7-11 (New Living Translation)
Brother Boon Yeong is a friend of mine who has been a Christian for less than a year.
I would like to share two of his most recent personal experiences with answered prayers from God.
Do read on below and be not only encouraged, but start praying too!
1. Finding my home
Since last November, I had been looking for a home to buy in Johor Bahru for my family.
For a long time, I was not able to find any that met my requirements. They have been either too small, too costly or the location was not ideal.
Till then, I did not pray to God for His help. However, the situation changed when I decided to pray.
I was led to list down the criteria of my new home. After listing them down, I committed them to God in prayer. In total, I listed 14 of them.
The next day, my prayer was incredibly answered. Through an estate agent, I found my new home which met all but one of my lists of criteria that I had listed the night before.
Wow…. I was amazed by the almost immediate effect of my prayer for my new home!
2. My job conversion
I joined AT&T as a contract staff. After a year, I was encouraged to apply for a full-time position in last September as there was available headcount then. I applied and had committed it to God in prayer.
I waited for a month. No news. Another month past, still no news. I became impatient and this time I asked my cell group to pray for me.
In my heart, I was hoping that my conversion to a full-time position would go through in December. But still there was no update.
In January, I received discouraging news that the conversion would not take place due to recession. I was disappointed that my prayers were not answered.
How come God did not answer my prayer? Was it because I was not sincere enough in my prayer?
After some time, I realised I should consider myself fortunate since there are many people who have been retrenched in this recession. That changed perspective led me from being disgruntled to become grateful.
I thanked God for His providence and pledged my love and loyalty to Him in regardless of the circumstances. I continued to persist in my prayers for the conversion.
Finally, last month (February) I was greeted with an unexpected news. I received news that my position was successfully converted to a full-time one!
These two experiences with God have taught me to be patient and to submit my plans to Him. As God is always in control, His timing is always perfect; never too early and never too late; just in time. He is faithful.
Some time ago, God encouraged me with His word from Psalms.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139:11-12
Though these two verses are not unfamilar to me, but I never quite made sense of what the psalmist meant.
But that day, the word was illuminated. I understood the essence of it.
The illuminated word
Despite being surrounded by the doom and gloom from the global financial crisis to my personal challenges in life, there is reason to be at peace.
God is bigger and above everything in this world. He is sovereign and is in my life. He lives in me. I need not fear as He loves me.
My confidence does not come from the economy, my job or my capabilities. It comes from walking with God and knowing his deep love for me.
I am discovering more with each new day that this intimacy with God helps me put life in its proper perspective.
In Him and with Him in control, I know that I am well-taken care of. Amen.
Last weekend, three of friends joined me for service.
Never would I have imagined standing with my friends in the House of God!
These were friends from my delinquent days. In the past, we grew up fighting side by side, but now we were standing side by side worshiping God with lifted hands!
Wow… God is pretty amazing!
After eight years of praying, ‘sowing’ and waiting, He is showing me what He has been doing behind the scenes all this while.
It is so awesome to see one by one of them reconciling to Him! But I know there are still much left to be done.
In the meantime, I am really excited about the other surprises God has under His sleeves for me for the rest of this year.
Yeah!
Check out this cool van!
I couldn’t help but snapped a few shots of it when I passed by it.
Read the funny inscriptions on the side door.
Finally the side view of the van.
I got to hand it to this fella as this best illustrates how excellence and creativity flows freely when we are passionate about something. And he is clearly passionate about his job! =)
Andrew: Inside & Insights 